Plans for phased ban on SUPs in 2022 / Packaging industry voices concerns

摘要

The Indian government is again considering prohibiting the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastics (SUPs) to tackle widely spread plastics waste. The government has proposed banning SUPs in two steps: in phase one, items like cotton swabs, plastic flags, sticks for balloons, candy and ice cream, and some styrene products are to be banned by 1 January 2022; in phase two, SUP cutlery, plates, trays, cups, straws, stirrers, packaging films, cigarette packs and PVC banners less than 100 pm thick will be outlawed from 1 July 2022. The thickness of everyday, low-cost polyethylene bags is also set to be increased from 50 pm to 120 pm from 30 September 2021, according to the draft, Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2021.